Slider – Ice Warrior Challenge

What EPM were asked

In February 2017, EPM was approached by a London-based production company to work with a multitude of organisations to design and manufacture two prosthetic legs for Micky Yule (Olympic Champion) who was taking part in the Slider – Ice Warrior Challenge.

Micky Yule lost both of his legs below the knee when part of a high-risk search team locating IED’s in Afghanistan in 2010.

After his lengthy recovery Micky represented Britain at the Rio Paralympics in 2017 after winning gold in the Paralympic Powerlift at the 2016 Invictus Games. Not content with his current achievements and ready for a new challenge, which came in the form of the skeleton.

Currently, double amputees can’t take part in the skeleton, but Micky wanted to prove that being an Olympian isn’t about having the perfect body, or the perfect number of limbs . It’s about having the Olympic spirit and never giving up.

This is the first time a double amputee has challenged an able-bodied world champion skeleton athlete (Martins Dukurs) in a head-to-head challenge to see who will become the world’s fastest slider at the Whistler Sliding Centre in Canada.

What EPM did

Using our expertise and knowledge of carbon fibre composites, we designed and manufactured two prosthetic legs which housed the fan motors which propelled Micky down the ice for his skeleton start.

Services provided

Design of the prosthetic legs including the housing for the fan motors.

Manufacture of the prosthetic legs.

Assembly of all parts.

Outcome

The documentary was filmed on location at Whistler, Canada and aired on Quest TV on 9 February 2018 and the Discovery Channel on 11 February 2018.